Uber, Lyft, Airbnb: Unicorn IPOs are coming in 2019 January 18, 2019 2019 is set to be an exciting year for IPOs. Some of the biggest floats in history are planned over the coming months. But the problem with IPOs is that the excitement wanes quickly, as 2018 proved. Here’s a look at some of the most hotly anticipated stock market debuts planned for 2019 and the [...]
Uber cars stock children’s books to boost bedtime reading for World Book Day March 4, 2019 Long known for getting time-poor commuters from A to B, Uber today launched a scheme to help London parents get home in time to read bedtime stories to their children. The ride-hailing company has teamed up with Penguin Random House imprint Puffin and the National Literacy Trust to launch a “mobile libraries” programme ahead of World Book Day, on [...]
Ex-Uber boss Travis Kalanick’s new venture snaps up UK ‘dark kitchens’ business March 26, 2019 The food delivery company run by Travis Kalanick snapped up London ‘dark kitchens’ firm Foodstars last year, as the former Uber boss looks to expand his new venture in the UK. City Storage Systems, which trades as Cloud Kitchens in the US, quietly bought the startup up last year, according to documents filed to Companies House. [...]
Softbank bounces back with $12bn profit thanks to tech boom August 11, 2020 Softbank has bounced back from a record loss earlier in the year after strong performances by its tech investments fuelled a $12bn (£9.2bn) quarterly profit. The Japanese conglomerate plunged to its worst ever annual performance in March after recording a huge $18bn loss for its flagship $100bn Vision Fund. Softbank set out plans for a [...]
Vegan sausage rolls and a Nandos uniform: 25 weird items people left in their Uber rides March 12, 2019 A Nandos uniform, a painting of the Last Supper, a tooth and a Gregg's vegan sausage roll are just some of the items that British passengers have left behind in Uber cars in the last year. While some witty Brits simply reported leaving behind their dignity and pride in an Uber – presumably after [...]
Lyft files for IPO ahead of rival Uber in listing that could value it at $25bn March 1, 2019 Ride-hailing company Lyft filed its initial public offering (IPO) registration today ahead of rival Uber in the race to hit the public markets. Lyft filed with an initial offering size of $100m (£75.62m), which is usually just a placeholder amount used to calculate fees that could change. The company did not disclose the price it plans to list at [...]
Uber IPO: Ride-hailing firm seeks to sell $10bn of shares in largest tech float since Alibaba April 10, 2019 Uber could look to sell as much as $10bn worth of stock in its initial public offering (IPO), in a move which would make it one of the biggest tech floats ever. Read more: Morgan Stanley tapped to steer Uber through IPO If successful, the taxi app firm could hail the highest-value IPO since that [...]
“Some challengers don’t want to make a profit” says Cashplus boss February 19, 2021 With plans to raise external investment and a new chairman in tow, challenger bank Cashplus is going full steam ahead just weeks after securing its full banking licence. Earlier this month the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) granted Cashplus a full banking license. Like its digital peers, Cashplus offers current accounts for UK SMEs, currently serving [...]
Investors should ready themselves for a great wave of innovation February 15, 2021 When I first invested in Facebook more than a decade ago, the business’s extraordinary potential was clear to me even though the full impact of social media had only begun to be realised. I was fortunate to be among the first to invest in some of the world’s most prominent start-ups, including Uber, Spotify, Airbnb, [...]
How Blitzscaling can strengthen your business during the global health crisis July 28, 2020 In today’s volatile business environment, market share is up for grabs, the talent pool is wider than ever, and blitzscaling might just give you the edge over your competition. Let’s face it: Growing a business is challenging even in the best of times. Growing rapidly adds a whole new set of challenges. So what happens [...]